Last we saw of intrepid pro-wrestling globetrotter Fergal Devitt, the Bray, County Wicklow man had signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (that’s the ex-WWF to the ’80s childer).
Debuting with its Florida-based NXT brand/division/etc., Fergal capitalised on his reputation from grappling exploits in Japan (where he was the subject of an RTÉ documentary), Mexico and Europe.
He become NXT’s biggest star as it began taking off, with touring and merchandise for WWE’s alternative product swelling around his arrival and championship reign…
…as Finn Balór (above), mild-mannered veteran by day, body-painted manimal on fight night.
So it seemed like the dream coming true for 35-year-old Fergal when he was finally called up to WWE’s main roster after nearly two years.
The creation of a new top championship for WWE’s Raw brand created an opportunity for Devitt to oppose storyline corporate golden-boy Seth Rollins at WWE Summerslam last month for the newly-minted WWE Universal Championship.
Customary ridiculousness of the title’s moniker aside, it placed Devitt right at the centre of the action.
Until this happened…
In the course of some scuffling on the floor of the Barclay’s Centre in Brooklyn, New York, Devitt went full-force into the guard rail surrounding the ring.
He not only separated his shoulder, but popped it back into place on camera, before proceeding to finish the match, becoming the champion of the world before 17,000 rabid fans in the process.
After finishing the morning’s media appearances, Devitt got his shoulder checked out, and with a career’s damage taking its toll, WWE doctors told him he’d need immediate surgery and 3-4 months’ recovery time.
Fergal had been champion for less than twenty-four hours before relinquishing the belt, after a sixteen-year career.
What’s left of a story to tell?
Why, the Rocky comeback, of course, and WWE are already all over it, generating sympathy and support in anticipation of his return bout and inevitable rematch with Rollins, showing footage of his surgery and day one of his physical therapy.
01. SKYMAS are a Belfast electronic/rock duo comprised of Martin Corrigan and Nick Todd.
02. Emerging in 2013, the band have slowly been releasing a series of singles that have begun to bring them to the attention of Northern music media, including The Thin Air, who’ve called them “an act that aim straight for the sonic jugular”.
03. Above is streaming audio of the new single, as premiered on TTA’s website.
04. Available for download now via Amazon Music, with another single and attendant live engagements to follow later this year.
VERDICT: Like early Therapy?’s big-beat moments, welded to the grooves, riffs and rhetoric of Nine Inch Nails. For those who are so inclined.
“I think its extremely important that politicians of all sorts give leadership, and leadership to the public that actually voted them into office.
“And that if there’s something so serious as an attempt to undermine the 8th amendment to the Constitution going on, that we’ve got to stand up, we’ve got to show a little bit of backbone anyway.”
Independent Leitrim Councillor Des Guckian talking to Newstalk this morning after Leitrim councillors passed his motion opposed to “any attempts to repeal or water down the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution” [which provides for a constitutional ban on abortion].
As techno goes, there’s no Irish producer with a better rep than Sunil Sharpe, who has gained extra recognition of late globally through European tours, Boiler Room and Resident Advisor features and and old-fashioned perseverance. Saturday’s set is a full five-hours that allows Sharpe to showcase what he does best.
final departures on all services before a 48-hour stoppage will be up to and including 9pm tomorrow night, to ensure “the safe and secure return of buses to each depot”
Workers at Dublin Bus announced three 48-hour strikes for this month with the next stoppage planned for 15-16 September and third on 23-24 September.
On Friday, Independent News and Media announced that it is buying Celtic Media Group which owns seven regional newspaper titles.
They are the weeklies – TheAnglo Celt in Cavan, the Meath Chronicle, the Westmeath Examiner, in Mullingar, the Westmeath Independent, inAthlone), the free Offaly Independent and the Connaught Telegraph.
In addition, the group owns the fortnightly, free south Meath newspaper Forum.
Further to this…
The Green Party writes:
The Green Party today called on Minister for Communications, Denis Naughten TD, to refer the proposed buyout of Celtic Media Group by Independent News Media to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The Party believes the takeover is in breach of the cross-media ownership regulations set out in the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014.
Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD said today: “The Minister needs to use the provisions of the 2014 Act to question and hopefully stop this merger.
There is a real threat to the public interest when one organisation ends up owning so many different media outlets. The legal mechanism to challenge this development has already been introduced. It is now up to the Minister to ensure those provisions are used.
“Irish print media are under real stress as advertising continues to divert to online platforms.
While we also want to ensure the survival of these historic titles, we cannot see a situation where so much of our print media is held by the same organisation who control so many national and local radio stations.
“The Minister and the BAI need to act fast to provide certainty about their approach. I will be raising the issue at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and the Environment this Thursday morning to get a clear understanding of the Ministers intentions.”
